This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1941. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The petroleum contamination at this site traces directly to bulk storage and distribution operations that began in 1941 and ran for six decades before the facility closed in 2001 — all originating well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions. The breadth of the remedial alternatives under evaluation reflects both the complexity of the contamination and the scale of cleanup expenditures ahead, beyond the interim actions already completed. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Time Oil Co. during that pre-1986 window may be obligated to reimburse past remediation costs and to fund the substantial work still to come.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.